1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process cartridge that is provided with paper dust removal means for removing paper dust from an image holding member, and also to an image forming device that includes the process cartridge.
2. Related Art
Japanese Patent Application-Publication No. 2001-159839 proposes a process cartridge that is provided with a paper dust removal device for removing paper dust from a photosensitive member. The paper dust removal device has a brush-shaped member that is formed of fibers and disposed between a transfer roller and a charger. A charge is applied to a brush of the brush-shaped member, so that the brush can trap paper dust by the force of the resultant electrical field. Paper dust is generally negatively charged and also charged to the opposite polarity of the toner by a bias applied during a transfer operation. Therefore, if a positively charged toner is used, then the paper dust is strongly negatively charged. Applying a voltage of the same polarity as that of the toner to the brush enables the brush-shaped member to efficiently trap paper dust without trapping the toner. The brush-shaped member is usually fixed by two-sided tape onto an electrically conductive plate, such as an aluminum plate. The two-sided tape includes a non-woven fabric and bonding layers on both sides of the non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric exhibits electrical conductivity on absorbing moisture. Using a non-woven fabric as a substrate of the two-sided tape facilitates the transfer of charge to the brush, increasing the paper dust trapping capability of the brush.
However, the abovementioned technique has a problem in that when peeling off the brush-shaped member from the plate, the two-sided tape could tear partway and fragments of the two-sided tape could be left on the plate, so that a large amount of manual work is required for removing the two-sided tape from the plate completely.
Recent concern for protecting the environment has led to a trend towards reclaiming and reusing components in various electrical and electronic appliances, with the objective of saving resources and energy and reducing garbage.
In the process cartridge used in an image forming device, such as a printer, the brush of the brush-shaped member can become dirty or damaged whereas the holder including the plate to which the brush-shaped member is affixed is not particularly susceptible to damage and can be reused. Thus any tearing of the two-sided tape during the removal of the brush-shaped member will necessitate manual work in its removal, adversely affecting the feasibility of recycling the process cartridge.